The NPL was created to elevate and change the competitive youth soccer landscape by extending developmental principles espoused by U.S. Soccer into more age groups and clubs, by linking competition with player development and identification platforms, and by providing meaningful weekly competition culminating in the NPL Finals. The NPL provides a platform:

• focused on long-term player development• for the country’s top soccer clubs, allowing consistent, meaningful high-level games appropriately scheduled with higher training to game ratios• that allows players to be scouted and evaluated by U.S. Soccer National Staff and Technical Advisors• that is designed and structured by the clubs, based on the needs of the clubs; and that provides an avenue for qualification for the NPL Finals

DEFC Technical Director, Ian Hennessy said, “In evaluating the best platforms for consistently good competition available to DEFC players, it was clear that the invitation to join the NPL was an important opportunity to take. The organizational detail and their commitment to player, coaching and club development is an important step for our clubs in building a clearer local pathway for all local players in an emerging national landscape in the country”.

DEFC Director of Coaching Scoot Mosier adds, “We are very excited for the opportunity players in and around the state of Delaware will have by competing in the NPL. The primary focus for the creation of DEFC by the three founding clubs was to offer our local players the opportunity to play at the highest levels in the nation. The NPL offers them that opportunity. I was pleasantly surprised that we received this invite in our first year of inception. With the ever-changing climate in youth soccer, this invite was one we could not refuse. The motivation of all three clubs is to make the best decisions possible to benefit the players that we serve. The decision to incorporate the mandated U13-U19 age groups in this second year of DEFC was a necessary one and one that the boards of Delaware Rush, Kirkwood Soccer Club and Delaware Union agreed upon with enthusiasm. As for Delaware Rush, we have always prided ourselves on making decisions based on the soccer interests of our membership and the decision to accept the NPL invitation does just that. The opportunity provided to our players by playing in the NPL is a testament to the strength in the collaboration of all three clubs and accentuates the reasons for the inception of DEFC. I am very excited for this opportunity and the ones that will come in the future for all of our local players”.